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Dimensional Jump Drive
"I am the captain of this vessel, and therefore if I insist on a countdown so I can say: 'Jump!' And sound dramatic each and every time, then that's what your going to give me." ~Captain Halveret of the ISS Halcyon ---- What it is Similar to a Dimensional Transit Drive in so much as the ship slips from one dimensional space into another, the Jump drive get's it's name because instead of transiting into a interlaced dimensional space and then traveling within and then transiting back out allowing for course corrections and maneuvering, the Jump drive effectively targets the exit location, accelerates the ship, Sidesteps into the interlocked dimensional space for the trip, and then back out again. Usually the jump drive uses a series of interlocked dimensions that are even more distorted on Distance and time than the ones that are safe to navigate as transit space. Though they do also allow for a shorter distance trip wise, and seem to correspond easier, they are also more affected by gravitational mass shadows and distortions than the slower routes. It's been described as if realspace is a hollow sphere, Intersectional Dimensional space is concurrent smaller spheres within that one. To move in realspace you walk on the outside of the sphere. The closest spheres beneath that are the ones used for Transit Drives, the ones beneath that are for Jump drives. It's a smaller space to move from point A to B, but less accurate on the outcome of the jump as whereas being off by several "feet" in transit space can cause you to show up several Kilometers from your intended Destination in transit Space, being off by the same amount in jumpspace can have you nearly systems away, so the easiest way to transit it is to Set the target corresponding in realspace, sidestep into the dimensional space, and then when close to the target location jump back. This has been described as being akin to starting your walk on one side of a path, jumping over to the far side and then back over again later on. Once a course has been laid in, there is no altering the trajectory, all one can do is disengage the drive and "Jump" back to normal space. This can be fairly dangerous as if you cut out early, it may take a while if at all for your navigational system to determine a point in interstellar space where you are, and thus plotting a course to a habitable planetary system becomes worrisome. Depending on the efficiency of a Jump drive (or it's been theorized, which level of dimensional jump space your sidestepping to) depends on the length of time one spends in transit. Even Jump drives can have ships spending days or weeks in transit depending on the distance, energy used and efficiency of the drive. The chances of something happening during a long jump that may result in a need for assistance (A previously unknown mass shadow, uncharted spacial anomaly or simple mechanical failure) tends to increase for such. This is why usually ships will make a series of short jumps From inhabited system to system rather than extended long jumps. Gravitational Mass shadows are a navigational hazard for Jump Drives, The main reason why they are affected but Transit Drives seem not to be is unknown, other than a theory that the mass shadows are there in transit dimensional space, however it isn't till they reach a more compacted form in Dimensional Jump space that they have the energy to do actual damage. To avoid this Jump drives are equipped with cutout circuits that pick up on the presence of a mass shadow and will dump the craft out of Dimensional Jumpspace before impact, or refuse to engage while the ship is within a certain radius of such. The safest means of plotting a course is to take the ship above or below the planetary plane of a system, outside the mass shadows of the nearby planets, and aim for a point at the Apex or Nadir points of the target system in relation to the primary. Once arrived using sublight drives to make the transit to the destination planet. Though there are more than a few navigators who will try and shave time off their arrival by aiming for closer in to the actual target planet. Having up to date planetary data and navigational information is oftentimes key between arriving where one wishes, and finding oneself jumping back to Realspace directly in the path of a comet. ---- Benefits & Drawbacks The fact that the Jump drive is faster and consumes less fuel than a Transit drive is one of it's primary benefits. What may be a 4 day trip for a Dimensional transit drive, a jump drive can get done in 10 hours (Again depending on efficiency, course and power of drive). Plotting a course usually requires a great deal of stellar information (One cannot simply aim for the "big open space between stars" and go) and a computer system that can adjust the angle of transition down to micro-degrees. Also as previously stated, gravity wells and other unknown stellar objects may cause difficulties in making a jump transit safe. A star that has gone supernova suddenly and turned into a larger mass primary or object that one has set a course "near" but not close enough to normally have problems with, can always cause difficulties. Additionally to natural objects, there are a number of mass shadow projectors or gravity mines or the like that can be used to keep a ship from engaging it's Jump drive. Whole planetary systems have been seeded with Inhibitor fields by their enemies or themselves that creates a huge mass-shadow for the system that effectively keeps one from engaging a jump drive anywhere within a specified transit area. Planets who have been invaded before will sometimes set these fields up to drop potential enemies out of Dimensional space weeks of sublight travel time away from their planetary system to give themselves warning of any approach. Likewise, a ship Using a jump drive gives off a fairly distinguished signature when they enter or exit (or for some sensors, even when in transit nearby) Dimensional jump space. And with a decent reading and computer system, by judging the speed and angle of departure, a pursuing ship may calculate the most likely "target systems" a ship is attempting to reach and pursue. Thankfully once within Dimensional Jumpspace the ship is effectively cut off from nearly all forms of Communication or potential harm from another ship's weapons system. it's nearly impossible to target another ship or even register it's presence while in Dimensional Jump space, and very few modern methods of communication can transmit to or from a ship traveling such. And even those are broad-spectrum type transmissions to and from realspace to Jumpspace (To date no recorded ship to ship communications while both are in Jump space has been recorded) which is not considered a secure way to transmit. Such is generally too expensive for a mere "Social call" to a ship in Jumpspace, and not being secure enough for matters of a military nature usually means all such communications are done in Realspace before a combat group would consider making the Jump.